


Worlds Apart

by Paige242



Category: The Bureau of Magical Things
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-05
Updated: 2018-12-09
Packaged: 2019-08-19 02:50:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 15,218
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16525904
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Paige242/pseuds/Paige242
Summary: Darra argues with his father and wonders if Kyra is really as different as she seems.(Post-1x16)





	1. Chapter 1

“She has done nothing wrong and yet you’re treating her like some sort of criminal!”

Darra glared at his father, his jaw set with steely determination as he tried to stare the man down.

This was not the first time he had fought with his father but the usually easy-going young man was currently full of more rage than he had thought possible. Sure, his dad was always stubborn and frustrating to deal with but he was used to their regular bickering about academics and his future prospects.

But this was different.

His father, along with Orla and Sean, had confronted Krya after the prize giving ceremony and had accused her of being a dangerous traitor to the magical world. Darra had no idea how he had jumped to such terrible conclusions after talking to the girl for a mere thirty-seconds—his dad didn’t know anything about her and it was clear that his judgement was based solely on prejudice and fear.

“I’m not saying she’s a criminal, son.” The older man began, folding his arms across his chest. “I was simply pointing out the facts. She’s not one of us and she should not be entrusted with this level of magic. Something needs to be done to fix this.”

Darra let out a frustrated huff and continued to glare at his opponent. “She is one of us now!” He proclaimed, the agitation in his voice apparent. For some reason, he hated it when people dismissed Kyra as different, even though she technically was. “She has worked incredibly hard to hone her magic and I don’t see why you all feel the need to plot against her. She isn’t a threat!”

Much to his annoyance, his father let out a dismissive scoff. “You’re even more deluded then I feared.” He muttered at the ground before looking back up at his son. “Whatever silly crush you have on this human is clearly clouding your judgement, Darra. This magic does not belong to her and she will always put her own people first. The way she protected her friend during the test makes that painfully clear.”

Darra opened his mouth to retort, but his father continued before he could.

“I’ll give the girl credit for one thing.” The man stated. “At least she is loyal to her own kind. Which seems to be more than I can say for you at the moment.”   

Although his father had not moved, Darra felt as if he had been punched in the gut. He did his best to draw two long breaths as he attempted to steady himself. The implications of his father’s remark had stung. Trusting a good person who had done no wrong did not make him a traitor to the magical world—if his father thought otherwise, he was clearly even more close minded then he had thought.  

“You’re not exactly inspiring loyalty at the moment, dad.” He shot back, finally gathering himself. “I’m not sure if I want to be loyal to people who plot against the innocent.”

Jared let out another scoff, much to his son’s growing annoyance. There was no doubt that the man thought he was right to take his current stance and there was probably nothing that could sway him.

“Honestly, son.” His father began again with a roll of his eyes. “You’re being quite dramatic.” There was a brief pause as he examined his son. “I suppose it’s partly my fault for being so lenient with you. I put up with all of your silly teenage dalliances with nymphs and fairies—I convinced myself that it was just a phase. But things have clearly gone too far now. You are an elf, Darra. A Blackwell. It is time for you to start acting like it.”

It was Darra’s turn to scoff as he briefly looked up at the ceiling. They were veering into familiar territory now and he was not in the mood to hear his father rant about his familial duties. As the Blackwell “son and heir,” he had been hearing the same sort of thing for his entire life. He was destined to take his father’s place as the head of the magical treasury, as all in their family line had done for centuries. It was a lucrative and prestigious role, but he had never been overly keen on it. Especially when it seemed to come with so many other obligations.

“What is that supposed to mean, exactly?” He retorted, glaring at the man once more. “Because if being a Blackwell means getting married off to some cold elven heiress then I don’t think I’m interested. You and mum are living proof of how successful that is.” He finished sarcastically.

He watched a flash of anger cross his father’s face and he was satisfied that he had finally struck a nerve. His parents kept up a certain façade while in public and had probably managed to fool many into thinking that they had a successful union—but Darra knew the truth. The two could barely stand each other and had married for status and money rather than something more. That was why his mother was hardly ever home. She had never wanted children and had little affection for her husband—her only happiness came from her extravagant world travels. The woman was barely present in their lives.

She hadn’t even bothered showing up today.      

Darra had always done his best to love her, in spite of it all, but he never wanted to be in his father’s situation.

“You are the Blackwell heir and you will marry an elf, Darra. That is not up for discussion.”

Despite his father’s forceful tone, the boy refused to back down.

“I’ll do and be with whoever I want.” He replied firmly, sparking another flash of rage from the older man. “You may want to hold onto the past, but I don’t. We’re not royalty anymore, dad, and I am not obligated to do anything.”  

He was well aware of his family’s past and he knew that his father was still fiercely proud of it. Before the elven monarchy had been voluntarily abolished over three-hundred years ago, the Blackwell’s had been in charge. Their ancestor had stepped down to make way for a new world, and only power over the treasury had been maintained. Darra had always been fascinated by the old stories of kings and queens but the older her got, the more grateful he was that things had changed. Their family was still widely revered but most of their antiquated duties were now dissolved.

Or at least, they were supposed to be…

“I knew letting you go to Maxwell’s school was a mistake.” His father said, snapping the boy back to attention. “I worried the halfling might fill your head with radical ideas, but I figured it was better to be taught by him then by some fairy. Perhaps I was wrong. I should have sent you to that elven school in New Zealand.” The man paused for a moment. “Maybe it’s not too late.

Darra’s rolled his eyes. The man was being absolutely ridiculous and he hated the thought of being ushered off to some old-fashioned insular school. Cross-community schooling had only been around for a few decades but almost everyone acknowledged the benefits of having all members of the magical community work together.

He sincerely hoped that his father was just being dramatic in the heat of the moment—but perhaps he was even more prejudiced than he had thought.

He firmly held his ground. “I’m not going anywhere.” He declared. “I can’t believe how close-minded and old-fashioned you’re being right now. I thought you were better than that, but I guess I was wrong.”

The older man looked taken aback by the remark but Darra continued. “Elves, fairies, nymphs, mermaids…humans. All creatures deserve to be treated with respect and decency. If that belief means that I’m not enough of a “Blackwell” in your eyes, then fine. I’d rather not be one anyway. Make Imogen your heir and let me live my life the way I want.”

He could see the growing rage on his father’s face, but the man tried to maintain his composure. “And does living your life the way you want mean taking up with that human tri-ling girl?” He scoffed, clearly mortified by the thought of his boy disgracing the family name in such a way. “Her powers are temporary, Darra. She isn’t part of our world. Part of _your_ world.”

“I don’t care.” The young man replied, his heart pounding as his mind drifted to thoughts of the girl he had grown to care for deeply.

Her powers and status were irrelevant to him. Kyra had been right when she had confronted his father and his associates earlier—he accepted her for what she was, and he always would.  

“I won’t let you control my life, dad.” Darra said, taking a few steps back. “And I won’t stand here and listen to your crap for a moment longer. Kyra is a good person. She isn’t a threat. I don’t know what the future holds, but I know that I love her. And I’m leaving.”

He watched with satisfaction as his father’s eyes widened in shock. In truth, he hadn’t meant to make that proclamation—he hadn’t even fully acknowledged it himself. But he knew that it was true. He was in love with Kyra Glenn and he didn’t care what anyone else thought.

His father opened his mouth, clearly ready to reply, but Darra turned his back towards his before he could.

He had meant everything else he had said too. He was tired of listening to the man’s narrow-minded drivel and he needed to get away.

With a determined wave of his hand, he finally disappeared.


	2. Chapter 2

After feeling from his father, Darra had roamed the dark streets of the human city for a few hours, basking in his new-found anonymity.

It was something he had done countless times before, but today it felt different. Instead of looking at his surroundings through the eyes of a complete outsider he suddenly felt more connected to those around him.

And he found himself yearning for more.  

That was probably due to the fact that he had spent more time in the human world over the past few months than he ever had before. Before he’d met Kyra, he had only come here on occasion to gawk in fascination at another world. He had almost always remained invisible, an elf hiding amongst the humans.

But recently, he had actually begun to interact. With Kyra and her friends. With passers by on the street. He had to use a to spell mask his ears, of course. But the humans had all simply accepted him as one of their own and he had to admit that it had been refreshing to feel like a member of the crowd.

He wasn’t Darra Blackwell here. There was no familial pressure or destiny weighing on him.

He was just a regular guy.

And he had loved that feeling.

But nothing was perfect, of course. Keeping up the charm to mask his true appearance took effort and after a few hours he always began to feel a slight burning sensation around his ears. Then he’d have to jump back to the magical world for a bit of a break. That was a stark reminder that he could never really belong.

He could not help but envy the fairies in that regard. They had two natural forms—full sized, and fairy sized. And when they chose to be large there was no way to distinguish them from a regular human. They could stay and blend in for as long as they wanted.

He didn’t have wings and he couldn’t shrink, but it was much harder for him to pass as human without a spell (or at least a good hat). His pointed ears always threatened to give him away.

As much as he hated to admit it he knew that his father had made at least one valid point that night—this would never be his world, no mater how much he may have wanted it to be.

He was beginning to feel the slight discomfort already, and he briefly contemplated jumping back to the library for a bit of a break. He still had no desire to go home, and the library usually would have been a good option—but today, there was a chance his father was still there, putting on his best fake smile as he mingled with the prize winners. Darra didn’t want to risk making an appearance so soon after he vowed to stay away.

 It was difficult to suppress the nervous twisting of his stomach, however. In the heat of the moment, he had not really thought things through. Where was he supposed to go? Home wasn’t an option and the library was out for now too. He briefly thought about asking Professor Maxwell for help, but he would still be at the ceremony right now too.

Lily was another option, but her father had been plotting with his own (though he was, at least, a bit more open minded about the situation). Rusky might be a better choice—he didn’t know her or her parents too well, but they might be the most willing to help. That would still require waiting, though. The party was supposed to go well into the night and they were probably all still there.

Kyra wasn’t, though, he reminded himself with a sad smile. But she was supposed to be on a trip with her dad and he wasn’t really comfortable with just showing up at her house anyway.  The more he accepted his growing feelings for her, the more nervous he had begun to feel. Darra had always been full of confidant bravado with girls—he was attractive, and wealthy, and everyone in the magical world knew who he was—there was no doubt that made things fairly easy for him.

But this was different. He wasn’t just having a bit of fun with Kyra. He actually felt something. And, for better or worse, that made things way more intimidating.

It had taken weeks for him to muster the courage to ask her out, and he had been crushed when she had said she was too overwhelmed to consider a date right now. The spark of desire in her eyes and the blush on her cheeks had kept his hope alive, though, and he was convinced that she had meant what she said.

The timing was bad. But she felt something too.

The young man let out a shaky sigh as he rounded another corner of the unfamiliar human neighbourhood. He had no idea where he was at the moment, but it seemed to be safe enough.

And at least he was alone, and at least his father wouldn’t be able to find him.

“Darra?”

The sound of a voice calling his name caused him to freeze in his tracks. For a second, he feared the worst, but he let out a breath of relief when he turned to see Kyra’s friend Peter crossing the street towards him.

He didn’t know the boy well and had never been overly found of the strange human, but at least his dad hadn’t found him.

“Peter. Hi.” He returned as the other teen stopped his approach and smiled up at him.

Peter examined him for a moment before replying. “Aren’t you supposed to be at that prize giving thing?” He asked, eying Darra’s formal suit. The boy must have sensed the confusion on his face because he continued to clarify. “Rusky told me about it. And Kyra. And I spent the afternoon trying to distract her dad while he waited for her.”

Darra shrugged, not keen on recalling the explosive event he had recently escaped from. “It sucked.” He said shortly. He was aware that Kyra and Rusky had decided to allow Peter to keep his memories of the magical world after he had discovered their secret but he seemed even more up to date than Darra had assumed. And he could not help but notice the twinkle in his eye as he had said Rusky’s name.

That was certainly interesting.

It looked like he really didn’t have to worry about something developing between Peter and Kyra, he thought with a slight smile.

“Oh.” Peter replied, awkwardly looking down at his shoe. The two young men had not interacted much, and the only time they had talked on-on-one Peter had tricked him into carrying a tracking device which had eventually led him to the magical library. The guy seemed harmless enough, and Kyra had assured them all that he would keep the secret, but there was little reason for conversation between them.  

“Where are you headed then?” The teen tried again, offering a friendly smile. Darra could sense that he was just trying to be nice, and he attempted to quash his annoyance towards him. He’d certainly had enough arguments for one day and was not keen to start another.

“Honestly?” He replied, letting out a defeated sigh. “I’m not really sure.” Perhaps venting to a human wasn’t ideal, but he was the only person he knew at the moment who was available and Darra figured it couldn’t really hurt. Plus he had just argued with his father about trusting humans—he should probably put his money where his mouth was.

“Like I said, the ceremony thing really went south and I just had to get out of there. Ended up having a big argument with my dad and I don’t really want to go home either, so I’m just wandering I guess.”

Peter nodded sympathetically before glancing over his shoulder for a moment.

“Well, we’re across the street from my house.” He noted warmly. “My mom is on a business trip and my dad is already at the bakery—he works weird hours. You’re welcome to come crash if you’d like.”

Darra hesitated, taken aback by the quick and generous offer from this near-stranger. He may not have been Peter’s biggest fan after everything he had done, but he did trust Kyra’s judgement. If she said he was a good person, then Darra believed her.

Plus he didn’t really have many options at the moment.

“Okay, if you’re sure.” He replied. It was getting cold out now, and the thought of warming up in the quaint house Peter had gestured towards was becoming very appealing. He really did not want to spend the entire night outdoors.

The human nodded reassuringly as they began their walk towards the house. A few short moments later, he was opening the door and they made their way into a small but cozy living room.

Darra paused, looking around before he took a seat on one of the plush couches. This was the first time he had actually been inside a human home and he found it quite pleasing. It wasn’t really as different as he had expected. Sure, there were no magical objects and there was a large unfamiliar rectangle mounted on the wall (a television, he reminded himself)—but other than that it was a lot like other magical homes he had visited.

It wasn’t like his house, though. Blackwell manor was huge and old-fashioned—as one might expect from a former royal summer home. It wasn’t quite a castle, but it wasn’t too far off.

Darra much preferred this modest simplicity.

“Nice house.” He noted, smiling as his newfound companion flopped onto the other couch. “I really hope I’m not imposing, though. I have friends if—”

The other teen quickly shook his head. “Not at all. It was feeling kind of lonely in here anyway.” He paused. “Plus I feel like I owe you…you know, after spying on you and stuff. I’m sorry about that, I just—”

“It’s fine.” Darra cut in reassuringly. “I mean, yeah, I was kinda pissed at the time, but I get it. Your friend was acting strange, weird stuff kept happening, and the rest of us kept popping up out of nowhere—I see why you’d be curious, and worried.”

Peter’s shoulders visibly relaxed and Darra could tell that he had truly been feeling bad about his actions. It was nice to clear the air.

“Yeah.” Peter agreed, relieved. He cocked his head to the side, examining Darra’s suit and tie once more. “Was Kyra okay tonight?” He asked, his genuine concern apparent. “I mean, she was super late coming home for the camping trip and I was getting pretty worried. And now I find you wandering around outside. So I have to ask.”

The young man let out a deep breath as he silently decided to let Peter in. As much as he didn’t really want to, maybe talking about the situation would do him good. And it would be nice to have another perspective, away from the magical community.

“It started off okay.” He began, running a hand through his sandy brown hair. “The awards were given out. And Kyra got one. But then she stumbled across my father and a few others talking about how dangerous she is, and how they need to find a way to get rid of her magic.”

Peter’s eyes widened in surprise as he continued. “She was angry, of course. We all were. After telling them off she left and then, like I said, I got into a big fight with my dad.” Darra paused for a moment, choosing his words carefully. He didn’t mind sharing some things, but it was complicated and he didn’t want to get into all of the gritty details. “In short, I told him that if he doesn’t want to accept her then I don’t want to be around him. And then I left too.”

Silence hung in the air before the human boy nodded and let out a quiet “oh.”

He could probably sense that there was a bit more to the story, and Darra wondered if Kyra had ever talked to her friend about him. It took all of his will power not to ask.

“Magical people really don’t like humans, huh?” Peter mused as he tapped his fingers on the side of the couch.

Darra let out a short breath. “Most don’t, no.” He agreed. “And despite the powers, most still see Kyra as an outsider. A human with accidental magic. Which I suppose she technically is, but I wish people were more accepting of that. I don’t see why it’s so hard to deal with.”

He mindlessly brought up a hand to rub his ears as he spoke, trying his best to ignore the increasingly annoying tingling sensation he felt. He’d been under the masking spell for about three hours now, and that was usually when things started to get uncomfortable. Darra could not suppress a bit of a wince.

He’d forgotten how observant Peter was, however, and he looked over to see the human boy starring at him curiously. He instantly put his hand back down on his lap.

“Are you okay?” The boy asked, his eyes directed towards Darra’s ears. He had to do his best not to flush with embarrassment. If he wanted to spend more time in the human world, he would have to work on getting used to this sort of thing and he felt weak for forgetting to maintain his calm façade.

It had been a long and exhausting night, though, and he tried his best to forgive himself.

He also decided to be honest. Peter knew about them, after all, what was the point in lying?

“I’m fine.” He replied, leaning back into the couch a bit more. “The spell we have to use to look human gets a bit annoying after a while, it hurts a bit, but it’s no big deal. I can cope.”

Peter raised an eyebrow, his mouth opening and closing a couple of times before he spoke. “You don’t have to…I mean, that sounds like it sucks. But you can relax here if you want. No one is going to come in, I promise. My mom is in Singapore and my dad never gets home before eight in the morning after a night shift.”

That had not been the response he had been expecting and, on a regular day, he would have said no right away. But today, it gave him pause. The truth was, he had no idea how long he would have to hide out with humans and the sensation was only going to get worse with time. Being safely hidden away in an empty house might be as good a chance as any to relax and recharge for a bit.

Much to his own surprise, Darra found himself nodding.

“Okay, thanks.” He said before giving his hand a quick wave.

The relief was instant and he let out a relaxed sigh as he closed his eyes for a moment, happy to be himself once more.

When he finally looked back at his companion, he could not suppress an amused chuckle at the look of surprise on the boy’s face. Darra really didn’t think of himself as awe inspiring—he was just a run of the mill elf—but he supposed that the boy hadn’t seen many (if any) elves before. This was all still new to him.

“Cool.” Peter muttered, clearly fascinated. “You really are an elf.”

Darra snorted. “Born and raised.” He paused, his expression darkening. “Unfortunately.” He added under his breath.

“Can Kyra do that too?” Peter asked, his eyes still wide. “I mean, does she have…” He trailed off, pointing towards his own ears.

Amused by the fascination, Darra let out another chuckle. “No.” He replied, briefly trying to picture the girl with similarly pointed tips and trying not to blush at the thought. Darra could not deny that he liked the idea. “You have to be a full elf for this to happen.” He explained, gesturing towards himself. “Kyra is only one third elven now. And even Maxwell, who is a halfling, has human ears.” The young man paused again, an annoying thought popping into his mind. “Which is probably one reason why my father is so dead set against intermingling.” He added more to himself than to the other boy.

Peter, quick as ever, raised an eyebrow as he tried to absorb this new information. Without missing a beat, he continued.

“So everyone in your family is an elf, and your dad won’t let you be with anyone who isn’t an elf?” The teen noted astutely. “But you like Kyra.”

It was Darra’s turn to stare ahead in surprise. Peter hardly knew him, but he had hit the nail on the head—maybe he wasn’t nearly as good at masking his feelings as he thought.

“I see the way you guys look at each other.” Peter continued with a smile. Darra did not miss the fact that he had said _each other_ …clearly, he wasn’t the only one with some level of infatuation. That was a reassuring thought. “And Kyra has been so much happier since she met you. She’s never been this into anyone before.”

Darra could not suppress a scoff. “Really?” He asked in disbelief. “Because when I asked her out a couple of weeks ago she said no.”

“Yeah, and she regretted it.” Peter quickly replied. “She asked me what I thought she should do. She is stressed out about everything, especially about hiding things from her step-dad, but she also likes you a lot and is worried that she blew her shot.” He paused, smirking. “But she’s also too proud and stubborn to tell you that herself. I’ve been meaning to talk to you about it, actually. I’d hate to see you guys throw this away.”

Darra could feel his heart begin to beat rapidly in his chest. He had no reason to think that Peter would lie to him about this and he was full of a sudden swell of hope. Apparently, his instincts had been right—she did feel something too and all was not lost.

He wished that he could dash over to her right now and talk about it, but the logical side of his brain told him that he needed to let the dust settle. This had been a terrible night, and she needed time alone with her dad.

Or rather, her stepdad, he corrected himself…

As excited as he was to hear what Peter had said, another thought instantly jumped to the forefront of his mind.

It was something he had been wondering about for a few weeks now, but it had never seemed right to bridge the topic with Kyra. Maybe Peter was the one to ask.

“Thanks for that, Peter.” He began, a grateful smile on his face. “Do you mind if I ask you another kinda personal question?”

The boy leaned forward, nodding in affirmation.

“I’ve sort of been wondering lately—do you know anything about Kyra’s biological father?” He asked, praying that he was not crossing a line. “Did she ever know him at all? And where did he go?”

Peter hesitated for a moment before offering a reply. “I don’t know much,” he admitted. “I do know that Kyra never met him, and that her mom left him before she was even born. As far as I know, she has never been in touch with the guy. When we were kids she told me that his first name was Kirean, but that’s the only information I have.”

He nodded, wondering if he should forge ahead with the last thing that was on his mind. Recklessly, he did.

“Do you think he might have been magical?” He asked, hoping he didn’t sound too crazy. It was a long-shot, he had to admit—but there had been a few things that had caused the thought to pop to mind a few times over the last little while. It had always seemed a bit odd that most of Kyra’s “triling” powers were, in fact, elven powers. And she had mastered things far faster than any former human should have.  

 And now Darra had to admit that the name Peter had provided sparked his interest— Kirean was an Irish name, and everyone knew that Ireland contained more magical peoples than anywhere on the planet. His own mother was from there, not to mention Professor Maxwell and countless other elves he knew.

That didn’t prove anything but still, it made it seem a little bit more likely.

Peter had tilted his head to the side, deep in thought.

“I did kinda wonder the same thing.” He admitted, causing Darra to lean forward with interest. “Things are supposed to happen for a reason, right? And it seems like Kyra is a natural with all of this magic stuff.”

Darra nodded in affirmation. “She is. And she has a hell of a lot of elven magic for a tri-ling.”

The other boy smirked. “You’re hoping she’s actually part elf then? I guess that would make everything easier.”

As true as his second statement had been, Darra shook his head firmly. He didn’t care about making things easier and he wanted Kyra’s friend to be clear. “It doesn’t matter to me if she’s part elf or not. I like Kyra for who she is, not what she is.” He stated. Peter nodded, hopefully accepting his very true assertion. “But I have started to wonder.” The young man admitted honestly. “Like I said, it’s all a bit weird. And if she is, she should know.”

“I definitely agree.” Peter replied. “But even if she was willing, how could she find out?”

“There are ways. Spells.” Darra said, trying to remember which book he had recently seen a parentage revelation charm in.

That part would be easy enough, but convincing Kyra to give it a go without making it seem like he was prying (or worse, hoping she was more like him to keep his father happy) would be difficult.  

“As cool as magic seems, I’m pretty glad I don’t have to deal with it all the time.” Peter admitted, glancing up at Darra once more.

“Yeah, a break would be nice.” The elf admitted, letting out a tired sigh. “Especially on a day like this.”

To his surprise, the other young man burst into a grin and suddenly jumped up off the couch. “Well, no time like the present, right?” He declared, taking a few steps towards the next room. “Are you hungry? I’m gonna put some frozen pizzas in the oven and then we can play some mindless videogames. That should do the trick.” He paused. “Elves eat pizza, right?”

Darra could not suppress a laugh. “Everyone eats pizza.” He said, returning the smile. “But what’s a videogame?”

It was Peter’s turn to chuckle this time and his eyes flashed with excitement. “Trust me, you’ll love it! Be back in a second.”

As he watched the other teen turn and dash into the kitchen, Darra leaned back into his seat and let out a peaceful sigh. This was certainly not where he had expected to end up, but he was grateful for the help and distraction provided by his surprising new friend.

There was no doubt in his mind that his father was wrong about humans. There was a lot to deal with on the horizon but, for tonight at least, he could simply relax and be himself.


	3. Chapter 3

He felt like a bit of a creep as he stood outside her window and waited for a response to his quiet tap. But since he did not have a mobile phone and did not want to knock on the front door (for fear that her stepfather might answer), Darra had little choice but to stand outside the pane of glass that led to Kyra’s room.

All things considered, he’d had a decent night of sleep on Peter’s floor. They’d eaten and played some games (the other boy had been right, videogames were a lot of fun…even though Darra was terrible at them) before getting to sleep just after midnight. They’d slept till the late morning and then Peter had helped him out once more by sending Kyra a message, asking if she was home. The girl had immediately replied with a quick “yes” and Darra had done his best to tidy himself up before jumping across the neighbourhood into her back garden.

There was no denying that he was nervous. Her text to Peter had given no indication of her current state and the young man had no idea if she was angry, upset, or annoyed. If she was in such a mood, he hoped that none of those ill feelings were directed at him. The more he thought about it, the more he wished he had stood up to his father right away, rather than just hovering behind Kyra in shock as she told the three adults off for plotting against her. He’d been too surprised at the time to jump to her immediate defense and he regretted that now. He wanted her to know that she would always have his support, no matter what.

Darra saw a shadow move across the room and as he squinted he could see Kyra’s lean figure come into focus. After quickly shutting the door to her bedroom, she rushed towards the window and nodded, a gesture for him to come in.

She looked a bit tired but she did not appear to be angry and the boy let out a small sigh of relief before waving his arm and magically jumping into the room.

He took a moment to steady himself before briefly surveying his new surroundings. He had never been in Kyra’s room before—it was a bit cluttered, but everything about it seemed to fit. There were sports trophies and a discarded uniform crumpled in the corner. Pictures of her with her mom and step-dad, smiling widely. Music posters decorating one wall and an elegant string of fairy lights adorning the area above her un-made bed. Some might have called the place messy, but Darra instantly liked it.

It was quirky and interesting—and so very Kyra.

Worried that he had already been starring for too long, Darra turned back towards his friend and offered her a warm (but slightly shy) smile. As nice as it was to see her home, it was also a bit strange to be hiding in here. They were alone…in her bedroom…and the young man prayed that he wasn’t already blushing awkwardly.

“Nice fairy lights.” He said, trying to break the silence with the first thought that popped to mind.

Kyra glanced back for a moment before replying. “Thanks. I just put them up this morning.” She said, taking a brief pause. “Lily and Rusky were here last night—they set up a beautiful campsite for my dad and I in the back garden. I was cleaning it up this morning and I thought the lights would look nice in here.”

“They do.”

He was a bit surprised to hear that his classmates had come by after the ceremony, but it wasn’t out of character for the two fairies. They were both very caring people, and it was nice that they had arranged a surprise for Kyra and her dad.

“Did they say much about the rest of the night?” He continued, wondering how much she already knew.

Perhaps he shouldn’t have waited so long to come by to show his support. He hadn’t wanted to wait, but he and Peter had both agreed that Kyra deserved a bit of family time. There was no doubt that she was stressed about her relationship with her father and Darra had not wanted to barge in and spoil that—but if Lily and Rusky had managed to check in, then maybe he could have too.

God, he really was bad at all of this, he mused with a small frown.

Kyra looked up at him. He could see sadness and worry etched on her face, but he was comforted by the warmth in her large brown eyes.

“They said you had a big fight with your dad.” She said, her concern apparent. “Is everything okay? I wanted to check in with you last night but I didn’t know how.”

Darra shrugged, once again feeling guilty that he had not come to reassure her sooner. She had enough to worry about and he didn’t want to compound that with his own silly problems.

“I guess I should get one of those human phone things you guys are all addicted to.” He said, trying to sound lighthearted for a moment before taking on a more serious tone. “But yeah, we did have a fight. Don’t worry about it, though. My father is old-fashioned and closed-minded. I’m not going to waste my time listening to his nonsense, and neither should you.”

Kyra bit her lip for a second before nodding. “Okay.” She began slowly. “But I hope you didn’t have a huge falling-out over me. He’s still your dad, Darra.”

“Well, I wish he wasn’t.” The young man instantly replied, his expression darkening.

He knew that he didn’t quite mean that— as angry as he was, he did love his father and knew that the man cared about him, no matter how misguided he was. But he could not help but think about how much simpler things would be if he had a different life. If he wasn’t a Blackwell, if he didn’t have obligations to the magical world.

Being at Peter’s house had been such a nice break and part of him had begun to feel jealous of the other boy. Peter was a human who could live his life freely. Darra had to hide on the fringes and was expected to follow a path that had laid out since birth.

That didn’t seem fair.

“Darra…” The girl began, her worry still apparent.

“He doesn’t know you, Kyra, and he has no right to judge.” He cut in before she could protest. “You’re talented and fun and brilliant—and you’re certainly not a threat to the magical world.”

She smiled for a moment, apparently pleased by his defensiveness on her behalf. But her next remark was not what he had hoped.

“You’re right, he doesn’t know me and I’m not a threat.” Kyra stated in agreement. “But maybe he’s not entirely wrong about everything.”

Darra raised an eyebrow in surprise as she continued.

“When you went to get us some drinks he told me to give you some space, because you have a role to play in the magical world—and the more I think about it, the more I think he might be right.” She explained. As unbelievable as it seemed, it appeared that she was serious.

The young man took a step back as he tried to process what she said. It was bad enough that his father had condemned her as a magical menace. But apparently he had also spoken to her privately when his back had been turned and tried to push her away. And even worse, it seemed that he had gotten though. He had no idea how she could possibly agree with his father, even for a second.

The man was a prejudiced old fool and he had no right to meddle in their personal lives.

It took all his strength not to let out a growl of rage.

“He’s wrong about everything.” Darra started firmly, his green eyes flashing. “He wants me to follow in his footsteps, because that’s what the men in our family have always done. But it’s so stupid and antiquated and I’m tired of being a push-over. If he wants to disown me then fine. I don’t need his money or his title. I can make my own way.” He paused, memories of last night flickering through his mind. “I can make my way in the human world if I have to. Some things are more important than magic. _You’re_ more important than magic.”   

To his surprise, Kyra moved towards him and placed a gentle hand on his arm. He felt his skin tingle under her touch as his heart began to beat faster.

She was so close now.

He could nearly feel the warmth of her body against his own. And she looked so beautiful in the light of the morning sun.

Darra hoped he had not crossed a long by hinting at how much she meant to him. He did not want to scare her away, but he also needed her to know where his priorities lay.

He meant every word of what he had said. He would give up anything for her.

For them.

 “Darra, I appreciate your support but we need to be realistic here.” She said, her voice much softer than it had been before. “None of us know what’s happening to me or how long I’ll be part of the magical world. It could all end tomorrow. I won’t let you turn your life upside down for me. I’ve been around long enough to know how these things work.”

“What do you mean?” He asked, confused by her last statement.

Kyra hesitated for a moment before looking up to meet his eyes. He could see a slight flush on her cheeks now and he wondered if her heart was beating as rapidly as his. “People in the magical world,” she began cautiously. “I’ve noticed that they don’t seem to intermingle much. Fairies stay with fairies, mer-people stay with mer-people, nymphs stay with nymphs…” The girl trailed off and his heart felt a pang of longing as she drew her hand away. “Elves stay with elves.” She finished, a noticeable twinge of regret in her voice.

Darra’s stomach twisted uncomfortably as he tried to formulate a response. Her observation was, unfortunately, correct. With few exceptions, the various magical races tended to stick with their own kind—halflings were rare and, until Kyra’s mishap, trilings had been unheard of. But it wasn’t impossible, and he certainly didn’t care about what anyone else thought.

Especially not his father.

“I don’t care.” He replied, stating the simple truth.

Unfortunately, the girl persisted.

“I may have powers for now, but I’m human.” She pointed out stubbornly. “And you’re not. Our paths were never supposed to cross. We’re from completely different worlds.”

The young man snorted. “So what?”

She was being surprisingly firm with her stance and he could not help but wonder if there was more behind it. Peter had said that she was just as interested in him as he was in her—if that was true, then why was she trying to push him away?

Kyra let out a tired sigh as she dropped into a sitting position onto her bed. He wanted to sit down beside her—to hold her close and tell her it was all going to be okay. That they would find a way if only they were both willing. But instead he simply stood, shifting his weight awkwardly from one foot to the other.

“What are we even talking about right now?” The girl muttered, more to herself then to him. “I mean,” she began again, looking in his direction. “We’re just friends, right? That’s what we decided.”

Darra did his best to ignore the knot in his stomach as he crossed his arms across his chest. He did his best to muster what was left of his confidence.

“That’s what you decided.” He noted, recalling their conversation from a few weeks ago. “But that’s not what I want...and Peter told me it’s not what you really want either.”

He watched as the girl’s mother fell open in surprise and the blush on her cheeks deepened. As much as he didn’t want to admit that he had talked about her with her friend, Darra needed to know the truth. He hoped Peter wouldn’t be too upset. Last night had made him realize just how much she meant to him and he wouldn’t be able to rest until he was certain of her feelings, one way or another.

It seemed better just to get it all over with, no matter what.

“Peter?” She stuttered, her eyes wide. “When were you talking to Peter?”

“I ran into him last night after I left the ceremony.” Darra replied. “I didn’t want to go home and he let me stay the night. He’s a pretty cool guy, actually.” The young man paused. “We talked.”

Kyra looked down at the floor and muttered something quietly to herself before looking back up at her companion.

“Fine.” She agreed with a hint of annoyance. “I did regret it. But that was before last night! The magical world is so complicated, and the DMI wants me stripped of my powers. It seems foolish to try, no matter how much we might want to!”

Although she was still protesting, Darra’s heart instantly leapt.

She had said _we._  

And that meant she wanted something too.

“The Kyra Glenn I know doesn’t just give up like that.” He pointed out, talking a bold step towards her as he spoke. “The Kyra I know is a fighter.”

She looked down at the floor again and silence hung in the air before he continued.

“If you don’t like me back, then fine. I can accept that.” He paused, a horrible thought popping into his mind. “I mean, I’d understand if you just think I’m a freak and you’re only interested in human guys, because—”

“No!” She cut him off much more forcefully than he had expected and he felt an instant wave of relief. “Darra, please don’t say that. I like you exactly the way you are.” She paused, gesturing towards him. “I mean the real you, without the spell.”

He could not hold back a smile as his relief grew. But the problem remained unresolved. “And I like you exactly the way you are.” He replied, finally working up the courage to take one more step and sit down next to her on the foot of the bed.

“I get that you’re under a lot of pressure right now. But you figured out how to get your orb magic under control. And things seem good with your dad, even though you haven’t told him everything yet.” Darra pointed out hopefully. “I don’t understand why you’re holding back.”

There was another pause as the girl turned her body towards him, her left knew now folded on the bed. It felt as if she was examining him and he did his best not to falter under her gaze.

She was holding something back, he could feel it.

“Lily said…and then your father…”

Her voice was quiet, and he starred back at her with confusion. “What did Lily say?” He asked, wondering how his friend had anything to do with it. Surely she wouldn’t discourage Kyra from following her heart.

The girl let out a long breath.

“Lily said you’re basically a prince.” Kyra began, biting her lip nervously. “I looked your family up the other day. And then your father said something about your destiny and I just don’t think I can let you throw everything away for me. It’s not worth it! Trust me. I’m not going to mess up your life!”

Darra could not hold back a snort of disbelief. Was that really the reason for her hesitation? Lily’s exaggerated description of his position?

At least that would be easy enough to clear up.

“First of all, I am not a prince.” He clarified, shaking his head.

“But the book said—”

“If you were reading about my family then you probably also read that there has not been an elven monarchy in over three hundred years.” He pointed out. “We’re basically just glorified bankers now. It’s nothing special, believe me.”

Kyra nodded, still wide eyed.  

“Secondly, you are not messing up my life.” The boy continued, taking her hand in his own. Much to his relief, she did not pull away. “Before I met you, I was just coasting.” He continued, remembering how empty and alone he had felt a few short months ago. “I never really connected with anyone, and I didn’t feel excitement about much in my life. Which is probably why I went along with what my father wanted for far longer than I should have. He told me I would take his place one day, and I always accepted it because I figured there was nothing else out there for me.”

He gave Kyra’s hand a gentle squeeze and revelled in the smile she gave him back.

“But the day you walked into the library something happened.” He said, recalling how she had nearly taken his breath away. “And the more I got to know you the more I knew I couldn’t be without you. That day on the beach, when it was just us—that was the happiest I had ever been, despite the fact that we were trapped. The thought of getting away from it all, with you…it was all I wanted.” He paused. “It’s all I want.”

He didn’t care that he was blushing, or that his hand was shaking a bit. He had wanted to say all of that for a long time and he was relieved to get it of his chest, no matter how vulnerable it made him feel.

She truly had changed him, he realized with a small smile. Before her, he had been nearly as cold and distant as all of the other members of his dysfunctional family.

That wasn’t the sort of person he had wanted to be, but it was all he knew.

Kyra had finally helped that tough façade to melt away.

Despite what she said, he truly felt as if their paths had been meant to cross—magic or not.

“I want that too.” She replied, causing his stomach to churn with nervous excitement.

Perhaps he had finally gotten through. Maybe he had convinced her that she did not have to hold back for his sake.

“I don’t know how this happened, with everything else going on—my life feels so insane, and I have no idea what is going to happen.” Kyra continued, her words more rushed than usual. “I tried to deny it because everything already seemed so complicated…but when I look at you, I feel okay again. I feel like I’m going to be happy and safe. I’ve never felt like this about anyone, and it scares me.” She admitted honestly. “It’s hard for me to open up to people, after mum…”

The girl trailed off as she glanced back towards one of the photographs that adorned her walls.

“But I want to, Darra.” She finished. “I want you.”

It felt as if the world around him had burst forth with new vibrancy. Darra was certain that he had never felt as happy as he did in that moment, and he looked towards her with the widest of grins on his face.

It was a near perfect moment, and he was tempted to kiss her right then and there, but there was just one more thing he wanted to do.

He wanted this moment to be absolutely perfect.

With a wave of his fingers, he transported them both to a familiar yard. Kyra looked around in surprise but, before she could question him, he led her forward and stepped through a portal they had found once before.

In less than twenty seconds, they were back where it had truly begun.

They were on the beach.

Their beach.

Throughout it all, he had not let go of her hand and he was glad that she had not yet pulled away. His confidence growing, Darra gently drew her towards as they stood facing the shore. Kyra’s body pressed against his and she looked up at him with a smile on her beautiful face.

“I’ve been picturing this for a long time.” He admitted, scarcely able to believe that this was real.

She brought her hand up to rest on the side of his face, her fingers gently brushing against one of his now-pointed ears.    

“Me too.”

This was exactly how it was meant to be.

Without another moment of hesitation, Darra finally leaned down for their first wonderful kiss.

When they reluctantly drew back to catch their breath, both were grinning widely, eyes shining with excitement.

“We could…go to the beach house.” Kyra suggested suddenly, before standing up on the tips of her toes and giving him a second quick peck. He wasn’t exactly sure what she had in mind, but his heart was pounding with excitement.

She squeezed his hand as she turned to lead him forward.

He didn’t really care what they did—as long as this was real, and as long as he was with her. Their kiss had been even more amazing than he could have imagined and he hoped that he was not about to wake-up from a dream.

Before he knew it, they were dashing down the sandy hill, hand in hand, laughing with pent-up nerves and relief.

It was amazing.

Perfect.

Everything about this moment was beautiful.

Darra looked behind him at the shore for a brief moment as he continued to move forward, and he nearly stumbled as he unexpectedly bumped into her suddenly frozen form.

“Kyra, what—” He began to ask, wondering what had caused her to stop so suddenly.

But as he turned he could see the cause of her hesitation.

Apparently, they weren’t alone.

A man was standing next to a nearby tree, looking at them with surprise etched on his features.

He was middle aged, and generally nondescript. At first glance, he did not appear to be dangerous, but his presence was startling and unexpected. Darra’s heart was pounding again, this time for another reason.

The man seemed to examine him for a moment and, after letting out a sigh of relief, he removed the woollen cap he had been wearing on his head.  

Darra instantly took note of his pointed ears.

The man was clearly an elf.

“Oh, thank goodness.” The stranger said, relief in his voice as he continued to look at Darra. “I was worried more humans had stumbled through the portal.”

The young man shook his head, instinctively taking a protective step forward towards Kyra.

“Elf and…” The man hesitated for a moment, looking at Kyra this time. “Fairy I presume?” He gave a friendly chuckle and Darra could not suppress the feeling that there was something oddly familiar about him. “Hoping to get away from prying eyes I bet.”

“Something like that.” Darra said, happy to keep things vague. This was a very unwelcomed surprise, and he wished that they had stayed in the privacy of Kyra’s room. He had been foolish to assume that no one else ever came to this beach, apparently.  

“Sorry to startle you,” the man continued, glancing back towards the beach house that was visible in the distance. “I come here every so often to look for my brother. He’s been missing for nearly a decade now and I can’t bring myself to give up hope.”

Darra and Kyra exchanged a glance and this time the girl spoke first, voicing the question on both their minds.

“Is your brother the architect?” She asked, her gaze fixed on the new arrival.

The man nodded.

“My name is Kieran Boyton.” He said, stepping forward and offering a hand to the young couple. “Edward Boyton was my brother.”

Darra’s mouth opened in surprise, but not because of the stranger’s connection to the missing architect.

It was the name he said first that was still ringing in his mind…


	4. Chapter 4

This wasn’t how Darra had pictured his day but, now that they had run into the architect’s mysterious brother, he had been too overcome with curiosity to turn away.

Sure, he would have much rather been alone with Kyra right now—their first kisses on the beach had not been enough to satisfy either of them and they each blushed with excitement and anticipation whenever they caught each other’s eyes that afternoon.

The instinctual and impulsive side of his brain wanted more. Now.

But Kieran, oblivious to the newness of their relationship, had invited them to the beach house for a cup of tea and Darra had been the one to quickly agree. It wasn’t that he particularly wanted to stay here with the stranger, but the coincidence of running into a man who shared Kyra’s biological father’s name was simply too much to ignore. If he missed this opportunity to find out more, Darra knew he wouldn’t be able to forgive himself.

Sure, it was probably nothing more than random chance—but he had to know for sure. Which, it turned out, was a tricky thing to do without raising his new girlfriend’s suspicions.

He couldn’t come out and ask if the man had been in a relationship with a human woman seventeen years ago. She would have known what he was thinking then, and he had no idea how she would react. So he was doing his best to ask questions that might hint in that direction.

“You and your brother both grew up around River City, right?” He inquired after taking another sip from his cup.

The three were sitting around the beach house’s small table. The place had been cleaned up a bit since their last visit, and Darra wondered how long the man had been staying there. At least a couple of weeks, by the looks of things.

Kieran nodded, looking towards the younger man.

“Indeed we did. I suppose my brother is quite famous, you’ve both probably read a bit about him in your classes.”

“We have.” Darra noted, chancing a quick glimpse at Kyra. She smiled softly and he blushed as she subtly placed a hand on his knee. God, it was hard to stay focused with her mere inches away and she wasn’t making things any easier. “And I met him once too. My parents had him over for dinner.”

The man looked surprised. “Oh?” He questioned, clearly intrigued. “Edward hardly ever accepted social invitations. He was shy like that.” He paused. “Who are your parents?”

“Jared and Amelia Blackwell.”

Realization dawned on Kieran’s face and he looked back and forth between Darra and Kyra before letting out a short laugh. “You’re a Blackwell?” He asked, an eyebrow raised. “No wonder you two are hiding out here.”

Darra instantly looked down at the table but even then he could not ignore the feeling of Kyra’s troubled gaze on his side. Clearly, the man knew enough about his family and their traditions to know that they would not be pleased with his choice of mate, and he shifted uncomfortably in his seat, silently cursing the stupid traditions of the magical world.

This was not a topic he wanted to delve into when he had only just convinced Kyra that things would be okay.

“Don’t worry, your secret is safe with me.” Kieran continued clearly seeing the anxious expressions on both of their faces. “And this place is the perfect spot for forbidden love. That’s why Edward built it in the first place.”

Darra fought back a frown as he felt Kyra move her hand away but, before he could turn to her for reassurance, she spoke.

“He was in love with a mermaid, wasn’t he?” She asked, remembering the photograph they had found during their first visit to the beach. “We saw a picture once. The last time we were here.”

The man smiled softly. “He was.” He confirmed, clasping his hands in front of him on the table. “I hope that’s where he is now—off with Clara somewhere, enjoying a life at sea. But even after ten years, I can’t ignore the feeling that something isn’t right. We didn’t keep secrets from each other, and he would have told me if that was what he was doing. He trusted me, and he knew I would never stop him.”

“So he just left? Without saying anything?”

He nodded again. “Like I said, it was quite uncharacteristic. He knew that I, of all people, would understand. And yet he left without a word.” There was a short pause. “That’s why I’ve never stopped searching. I need to know that he’s safe.”

Kyra looked at him sympathetically and Darra could tell that she felt sorry for the man, still worried about his missing brother after all of these years. Darra felt sorry for him too, but it was another comment that had really caught his attention.

Kieran had said that he understood forbidden love.

That still did not necessarily mean anything, but the coincidences were beginning to pile up.

Darra had to know.

Frantically, he attempted to piece together his next question and, in his panic, he blurted out the first thing that came to mind. He couldn’t ask directly, but he needed to push the conversation further.

“Were you in love with a mermaid too?”

The man laughed again, shaking his head as he looked over at the young elf. “No.” He said, his smile slowly beginning to fade as he seemed to recall a long-distant memory. “In a lot of ways, that would have been easier.”

Darra felt his heart begin to pound in his chest and he could not stop himself from leaning forward.

“What do you mean?” He asked, his voice softer than it had been before. He felt like a bit of a pest for pushing this near-stranger on, but it was impossible to ignore his instincts. There was something there, he felt it.  

“I wouldn’t want to bore you with my own long, sad, saga.” Kieran answered, doing his best to keep a lighthearted tone.

Apparently hoping for a distraction, the older man glanced back towards the stove and let out a small sigh. “I don’t know about you two, but I’d love another cup of tea. I’m going to pop over to the well and gather a bit more water.”

Both of the teens smiled in response and neither said a word until Kieran had left the small house and shut the door behind him.

The second he was gone, however, Kyra turned towards him with annoyance in her wide eyes.

“Darra, what are you doing?” She asked, her voice just above a whisper. “You clearly made him uncomfortable. We hardly know him, don’t you think those questions were kind of personal?”

The young man bit his lip. He did feel a bit sheepish, truth be told—but if she knew what he was thinking, she probably would have understood his annoying insistence.

Unfortunately, he had no idea how to tell her his suspicions without making the moment significantly more tense.

“I just…I’m curious, okay? And I’m just trying to make conversation.”

The girl snorted, shaking her head. “Conversation about forbidden love?” She asked, folding her arms across her chest. “Is this really what you want to be discussing today, Darra _Blackwell_?”

She placed a firm emphasis on his last name and he knew that she was probably still dwelling on Kieran’s reaction to his lineage. He hated that things were so unnecessarily complicated and he would have given anything to be back in her room now, this strange turn of events all but forgotten.

“I’m not going to lie, Darra.” The girl began again. “This hasn’t exactly been reassuring. You’re the only magical person who doesn’t seem to think that us being together is a big deal. Even complete strangers know that you’re asking for trouble by being with me.”

He could not hold back a frustrated groan. They had taken one step forward and two steps back, it seemed. Had his earlier reassurances really meant so little?

“I already told you, Kyra, I don’t care about anything else. I just care about you. I want to be with you.” He reached over, taking her hand in his and giving it a comforting squeeze. “That’s all that matters. Stop overthinking it.”

It was her turn to let out a sound of frustration. “God, why do you have to be so…”

“Handsome and charming?” He cut in, doing his best to win her over with a wide, boyish smile.

She looked ready to continue the argument for a moment but, thankfully, his tactic worked. As she looked over at him, her scowl slowly turned into a smirk and she leaned forward for a quick and unexpected kiss. He eagerly welcomed the change in direction and, as they drew apart, both were smiling.    

For the umpteenth time that afternoon, he found himself wishing that they had privacy. And, apparently, she was thinking the same thing.

“What are we doing here, Darra?” Kyra asked, looking around the beach house. “I mean, Kieran seems lonely. And nice. But this isn’t how I pictured spending the day.” She paused, her dark brown eyes examining him for a moment. “And I can’t shake the feeling that there’s something you’re not telling me.”

He hesitated, nervously running a hand through his shaggy brown hair.

People always said that relationships should be built on honesty, he mused—maybe it was silly of him not to share what he was thinking.

Then again, it was a fairly personal matter and he wasn’t really sure how she would react.

“Darra, please.”

The boy let out a long, worried breath.

“Okay, fine.” He said, glancing towards the door. They probably only had a moment before Kieran came back and if he was going to say it, he had to say it now. “When I was talking to Peter last night, he told me that all you knew about your biological father was his name.”

“Wait, what?”

This was clearly not what she had been expecting and her eyes narrowed and she leaned back into her chair.

“What…what are you talking about? You don’t think…”

Darra reached out towards her, hoping to offer a reassuring hand, but she quickly snapped her arm off of the table. The young man sighed again.

“I don’t know.” He said, trying to maintain an air of calm. “It’s just a weird coincidence, to run into a man with the same name here. And when he started talking about forbidden love…”

The girl shook her head frantically. “No. No way.” She asserted firmly. Apparently, she thought the idea was absolutely absurd and Darra found himself wishing he had kept his thoughts to himself.

So much for honesty, he thought glumly.

Her breathing much more rapid than it had been before, Kyra stood up abruptly, her metal chair scraping loudly against the floor.

“Is that what this is really about?” She asked, her eyes still narrowed dangerously. “We meet some elf who just happens to have the same name as my father, and you start concocting a crazy theory that he’s my long-lost dad?” Kyra threw up her hands and she began to pace angrily across the small room. “You claim not to care about this sort of thing, and yet here you are, hoping that I’m more like you.”

“It’s not like that, Kyra!” He cut in, quickly standing up to meet her eye. This was exactly what he had feared, and he continued to kick himself for not thinking things through more carefully.

The last thing he wanted was for her to think he desired this for his own sake.

He didn’t care who or what her father was. He had only been following his instincts, in hopes of helping her.  

“I may not know much, Darra, but I know my father was not an elf. He was human. Like me. And I’m sorry if that’s not good enough for you.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, of course it’s good enough! I don’t know why you find that so hard to believe. It’s not about that, I was just trying to help.”

The girl stopped pacing and whirled around to meet his eye. “Well stop helping.” She snapped, making no effort to mask her anger. “My mother would have told me. I know she would have. So it can’t be true.”

“Maybe she didn’t know.”

Her eyes flashed with anger once more and he instantly regretted his words. A wiser man would have dropped it, but Darra Blackwell wasn’t exactly renowned for his wisdom.

“Darra I—”

But before the girl could finish her next sentence, however, a loud clatter from the doorway caused both of the teens to freeze in their tracks.

Neither had noticed Kieran’s return and the two looked at him with wide eyes as he stood, a puddle from the dropped bucket forming at his feet.

“I knew you looked familiar.”

The man was starring directly at Kyra and there was a quiver in his voice as he spoke.

For her part, Kyra was too taken aback to say anything and there was a long and uncomfortable pause before he finally spoke again.

“Your mother…is her name Michiko?”

Darra felt his heart begin to pound but he was willing to bet that was nothing compared to the shock that must have echoed through Kyra’s body. The girl appeared to be frozen, her mouth hanging open and she gawked at the stranger in the doorway.

It felt as if time had begun to stand still and Darra’s mind raced as he tried to think about what to do next.

This man knew her mother’s name and, with everything else considered, it seemed impossible to question the connection.

“I can’t.”

Kyra’s words rang through the tiny room and, before anyone could respond, she disappeared in a flash of blue light.

As soon as she left, Kieran drew a ragged breath and took a few steps forward, finally collapsing back into the chair he had been occupying earlier that afternoon. For a long while, he simply sat. His head in his hands and his eyes starring down at the dusty floor.

Darra felt like an intruder, but he was too dumbfounded to think about what to do next.

A few minutes ago, he had been arguing with Kyra. And then…this.

As much as he wanted to go after her, he knew that he wouldn’t be able to locate her until she wanted to be found. And he wanted to make sure that this man was okay too.

Apparently, he wasn’t really a stranger after all.

“You are, aren’t you?” The young man finally mustered a few words and the other occupant looked up at his slowly. His eyes now lined with red.

“Her father, I mean.”

There was a long and heavy silence.

“I think so.” The man finally answered, shaking his head slowly in disbelief. “I never thought I’d see the day.”  

Darra quietly made his way back to the table and the two sat for a moment, each trying to collect their scattered thoughts.

“She jumped.” The man whispered, looking towards the spot where Kyra had last stood. “That’s elf magic. Someone unbound her powers.”

“It’s kind of a long story.” Darra started hesitantly. “I’m not sure if her powers were unbound exactly, but she did get magic. Lots of magic.” He paused. “We all thought she was human, though. She had no idea.”

Kieran let out a long and burdened sigh.

“It’s my fault.” He muttered, looking back down towards the floor. “I never thought this would happen. Maxwell said the charm was strong.”

Darra raised an eyebrow. “You know Professor Maxwell?” He asked, intrigued. “Kyra and I are his students. At the library.”

The man nodded somberly. “Of course, he was my brother’s best friend. And no one knows more about halflings then he does.” There was another long pause. “It was never supposed to be like this.” He began, the sadness evident in his tone. “Michiko and I—it was a foolish youthful fling. She was smart and beautiful, and I fell hard, even though I knew it could never be. We agreed to go our separate ways after the summer, but then one night—I’ll never forget it—she called me in tears. She was pregnant, with our child, and I had no idea what to do.”

Darra looked at his companion. There was no doubt that he still felt pain about what had transpired—that much was apparent on his face. But he also knew how Kyra had grown up and he had to wonder what had happened next.

“So, you left her alone?” He asked, hoping he didn’t sound too accusatory. He didn’t want to jump to too many conclusions until he knew the full story.

Kieran shook his head. “It’s wasn’t like that.” He said quickly. “I wanted to come back, but she had already found someone else. A nice normal human named Steve. He eventually agreed to raise the baby as his own. They loved each other, and she didn’t want me to be involved, she just wanted me to know. And it’s a good thing I did.”

Darra’s eyes widened. “So that you could bind her powers?”

“Yes.” The man replied, a slight frown on his face. “I hated the thought of if, but if Michiko didn’t want me in the child’s life, then I didn’t see any other choice. It would be too dangerous to let her grow up with magic if no one around her knew what was happening.”

“And Kyra’s mum had no idea you were an elf?”

He shook his head again. “No.” He said sadly. “A few days after she was born, I took her to Maxwell and he put a charm on her. To make sure her magic was never unbound. After that, I never saw her again—it was what Michiko wanted, and I did my best to respect that, no matter how difficult it was.” He stopped for a moment. “I never, in my wildest dreams, could have expected this.” Kieran drew a deep breath before looking up and meeting Darra’s eyes.

“It’s really her, isn’t it?”

“Yes.”

After speaking that simple word, Darra leaned back in his chair, trying to absorb all that he had learned. Kyra had never fully been human, and perhaps her encounter with Lily and his sister that night in the forest had been more fated than any of them had thought.

This certainly seemed to explain her knack for magic, and her quick adjustment to life in their world.

He wondered if Maxwell had known her true identity all along. He admired the Professor, and hated to think that he would keep that from Kyra, but the man had always been full of mysteries. He had withheld quite a bit of information about the orb, after all.

“She already hates me. God, what a mess.”

“No, I’m sure she doesn’t.” Darra cut in reassuringly. Despite the shock of it all, he found himself liking the man and it did seem that he meant well. Even if he had not been around.

“It has been a pretty crazy day and she’s probably just overwhelmed.” He began again. “But I think she’ll want to talk, eventually.”

The man tried to muster a smile.

“I’ll find her, and maybe we can arrange to meet in the library tomorrow morning?” He let out a short laugh. “It seems like Maxwell has some explaining to do as well.”

“Of course!” Kieran agreed enthusiastically. “I’ll go anywhere if it means we’ll have a chance to talk.” He paused. “I can’t believe I didn’t see it right away. I knew she looked familiar, I couldn’t shake that feeling—but I didn’t put it together.”

The young man tried to offer another reassuring smile. “Don’t worry, I’m sure she’ll understand.”

It probably wouldn’t be easy, but Darra was determined to move things along and he stood up with his spot with a newfound determination in his eyes. “I should get going, but hopefully we’ll see you tomorrow at the library. Should we say ten?”

Kieran quickly agreed.

“It was good to meet you. And, er, hopefully see you soon. Sir.” Darra finished somewhat awkwardly, having no idea how to address his new girlfriend’s long-lost father. The afternoon had been confusing, to say the least, and he could only hope that Kyra would be able to muster the strength needed to confront the man again soon.   

“It was good to meet you too, Darra.” Kieran replied. “And if I may say so, it seems clear that my daughter could not have chosen a more honourable young elf.”

Trying not to convey his embarrassment, Darra uttered a quick thank you before finally making his way out of the beach house and beginning the uncertain trek back to an uncertain reality.


	5. Chapter 5

“Kyra, are you okay?”

It had taken over two hours to find her and the sun was slowly beginning to dip below the horizon now.

He had tried all the usual spots first—the juice bar, the basketball court, her room, the library (thankfully, no one else had been around)—finally, he had gone back to Peter’s house and, after explaining what was going on, asked if her friend knew of any other places he should check.

Peter had given him a couple of ideas and, after checking her favourite garden and a coffee shop she liked, he had found her at the last place he hoped she would be. To him, it seemed a depressing spot to come when already feeling so overwhelmed. But Darra had never experienced the loss of a parent and he supposed she might have gotten a certain comfort from being here.

Darra had jumped behind a large tree and had quickly caught sight of her form, slumped in front of one of the cemetery’s many marble headstones.

After hesitating for a minute, and wondering if she would dash off the second she saw him, he had decided to take his chances and make himself known.

As he called out, the girl looked over and he could instantly see the confusion and grief on her tear stained face. Thankfully, however, she did not look angry that he had come and she sat silently on the grass, allowing him to approach. Not knowing what else to do, Dara quietly sat down beside her, placing a gentle arm around her waist as she wiped away a stray tear.

“I don’t know how to be okay with this.” Kyra finally uttered, her eyes still locked on the tombstone that was inscribed with her mother’s name.

The young man drew a deep breath, wishing he knew what to say but knowing that nothing could really help right now. It was a lot to deal with, there was no doubt about that—he was pretty shocked himself, and he wasn’t the one who had just discovered a long-lost father. He could only imagine how hard this was for her.

“I don’t know, Kyra.” He replied honestly, his hand gently playing with the ends of her long, dark hair.

She was so beautiful, even now, and he would have done anything to take her pain away. He could not help but feel responsible—perhaps it had been foolish to question Kieran. Maybe they should have left the man on the beach as soon as they had met.

Kyra never would have known the truth, but at least she wouldn’t be faced with this.

Their wonderful day could have stayed truly wonderful.

Those kisses on the beach felt like another lifetime now. It was hard to believe that it had only been that morning.

Only an idiot would have ruined something as perfect as that.

“I’m sorry. We shouldn’t have talked to him.” Darra said softly, hoping that she would forgive what he had done. “It wasn’t my place to push it.”

There was a long silence, and he felt a pit of worry grow inside of him. Maybe he really had ruined everything—in less than a day. That must have been some sort of record, he mused darkly.  

Kyra finally spoke. “It’s okay, I’m not mad at you.” She said, eliciting a sigh of relief from the young man. “You had a hunch and, as it turns out, you were right.” The girl paused again. “I’m mad at mum. And _him_.” She continued, clearly not ready to say his name. “She never told me. And he never bothered to find me.”

The young man hesitated, wondering how much he should reveal. It wasn’t really his place, and Kieran should probably be the one to explain. But he did want to make her feel better.

“I talked to him a bit, after you left.” Kyra stiffened at his side. “For what it’s worth, he said your mum asked him not to be involved. She’d already met your stepdad and wanted to raise you with him.”

“He still could have tried. And she should have told me who he was!” She replied quickly. He could hear a flash of anger in her voice now.

Darra gave her a sympathetic smile. “She didn’t know who he was. And he secretly bound your powers a couple of days after you were born. To protect you.”

“What!?” She exclaimed, clearly displeased by that revelation.

“I don’t think they were together long…”

Kyra snorted, not comforted by that thought. He could see where she was coming from—even though her mother hadn’t known, it was still unpleasant to think that she had grown up without knowing her true identity.

“He should have found me, and he should have told me.” She began again, her eyes flashing. “It’s not fair to keep something like that from someone! This whole time I thought I was normal. But I’m not, am I? I’ve never been normal and I never will be! And if I hadn’t touched that book, then I probably never would have known about the magical world at all! I just…I can’t…” She trailed off, overwhelmed, and took a few ragged breaths to steady herself. “I can’t wrap my head around the thought that I’m not even fully…human.”

She struggled to choke out that last word and Darra did his best not to flinch. She seemed to think that was a terrible thing, for some reason. He could understand why this revelation was a surprise, of course— but was it really so awful?

“But you like having powers, don’t you? And you’re so good at magic.” He pointed out, hoping she could see a silver lining. “Besides, I’m not human either. It’s not that bad, trust me.”

Darra tried to smile, but the stormy expression on her face quickly caused it to fade.

“Having powers was fine when I thought it was just an accident.” She said, bitterness in her tone. “And it’s different for you. You’ve always been an elf, that’s normal for you. But it’s not normal for me. I feel like a freak.”

She had a point, but it was still hard for him to truly understand. And it stung slightly to think that she did not consider him normal. He did his best to ignore that thought.

“You’re still you. Nothing is going to change that.” He tried again, still hoping that he could find the words to help. “Yeah, it’s a pretty crazy surprise. But you’re tough, and I know that you can handle it just like you’ve handled every other challenge life has thrown your way. You’re a total badass, Kyra.”

She finally mustered the smallest of smiles but, unfortunately, it quickly faded.

“God, Darra, what am I supposed to tell my dad?” She asked, looking up towards the darkening night sky. “He’s so great, and he’s always been there for me—but this will crush him. I’ve never had any interest in finding my biological father and we’ve never even talked about it before.” There was a short pause. “Am I supposed to go home and say ‘hey dad, guess what? I accidently found my biological father on a hidden beach and he just so happens to be a magical elf.’”

Despite the seriousness of the situation, Darra could not hold back a short laugh. Thankfully, Kyra let out a quiet snort too, at the absurdity of it all.

“You could always add that you found a magical book that gave you elf and fairy powers earlier this year. And that your boyfriend is an elf too.”

It was the first time he had actually used the ‘b’ word to refer to himself but he was happy to see a faint smile cross her face as he did. They hadn’t really discussed it but it did seem like they were on the same page. For the umpteenth time that day, he wondered what they’d be doing now if it hadn’t been for the unexpected encounter moments after their feelings had finally been affirmed.

“Great, sounds like a plan.” Kyra replied sarcastically.

Another brief silence fell and he pulled her closer for a moment, wrapping her in a reassuring hug.

“I really don’t know what I am now.” She whispered, her cheek now pressed against his chest. He wondered if she could feel how fast his heart was beating from their closeness.

Probably, he reasoned.

“I mean, apparently I was born a halfling, but my powers were bound.”

He nodded.

“And then I touched that book, which we thought made me a tri-ling.” She began again. “Am I a tri-ling though? I do have a few fairy powers, so I guess so. Did my natural powers become unbound that night too?”

Darra thought for a moment, still holding her close. Those were good questions, and it was hard to say what was true.

“If I had to guess,” he began reluctantly. “I’d say what happened that night with the book could have happened to anyone, and is probably unrelated to your other magic. It did seem to make you a tri-ling, like we thought. And I don’t think it necessarily unbound your other magic.”

Kyra let out a long breath. “So my actual powers might still be bound?” She asked, more a statement than a question. “If we unbind them, am I going to be more powerful somehow?”

The young man shrugged. “I don’t know. You might get even better at elven stuff—but you’ve already mastered most things anyway.”

“Still, if we can figure out a way I think I want to do it. I want to know what it feels like to really be…me.”

He smiled. “Maxwell knows how.” He said, forgetting that she had not been present for that part of the conversation earlier. When she sent him a perplexed look, he continued. “I mean, he bound them in the first place, so he must know how to reverse it.”

“What!?” For the second time that evening, Kyra let out a surprised exclamation and pulled back, looking towards him with shock etched on her features. “Maxwell did it? He knows!?”

Darra bit his lip. “I’m not sure. All I know is the Kieran took you to him as a baby and he did the charm. He may not have put all of the pieces together since he met you again, though. I don’t know.”

The girl let out an annoyed groan and she ran a hand through her long, dark locks. “If he has been keeping this from me then I _swear_ …”      

Hoping to provide some comfort, Darra placed a hand on top of hers. “We can find out in the morning if you want. Kieran is going to be at the library at ten. If you’re up for it, you can go. And I can come if you want. But no pressure if you’re not ready.”

Kyra shook her head and he could not tell if she was overwhelmed or (suddenly) amused by the ridiculousness of the entire situation. An odd expression on her face, she slowly stood up from the grass and offered him a hand, which he gratefully took. Once they were both standing, she spoke.

“I need to get some rest.” She said, not indicating if she was up for tomorrow’s proposed meeting or not. “That’s all I can think about right now.”

He nodded. That was definitely understandable. “Of course. I’ll, uh…I’ll pop by in the morning maybe, to check in? If you want.” He suddenly felt more awkward than he had before and hoped that she didn’t find his suggestion too overbearing. “I mean, whatever you want.”

The girl smiled, taking his hand in hers as they stood under the rising moonlight.

“You’ve been the only good part of this crazy, messed up day, Darra. And I don’t want to be alone right now.”

Surprised, he raised an eyebrow. His heart was already beginning to pound rapidly in his chest.

“Come back with me. And let’s just be us. We can figure everything else out in the morning.”

That sounded more than okay to him and he quickly retuned her smile.

Moments later, they disappeared from the quiet cemetery.

Together.  


End file.
